Vehicle battery tray with tubular peripheral wall

ABSTRACT

A battery tray for a vehicle includes a peripheral tubular member that borders at least a lateral side of a battery containment area relative to the vehicle. A crush section is attached along an outboard side of the peripheral tubular member. The crush section includes an outboard wall portion, an upper leg portion integrally extending inboard from an upper end of the outboard wall potion, and a lower leg portion integrally extending inboard from a lower end of the outboard wall potion. The upper and lower leg portions of the crush section each terminate inboard at an end flange of the crush section that is attached to the peripheral tubular member to enclose a hollow interior there between.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of continuationapplication Ser. No. 17/366,130, filed Jul. 2, 2021, which is acontinuation application of U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No.16/130,580, filed Sep. 13, 2018, which claims benefit and priority under35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/558,100,filed Sep. 13, 2017, which are hereby incorporated herein by referencein their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to vehicle battery supportstructures, and more particularly to structural components for holdingand supporting protected batteries, such as battery packs or modules orthe like for electric and hybrid-electric vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Electric and hybrid-electric vehicles are typically designed to locateand package battery modules on the vehicle in a manner that protects thebatteries from damage when driving in various climates and environments,and also that protects the batteries from different types of impacts. Itis also fairly common for vehicle frames to locate batteries in aportion of the frame or sub-structure of the vehicle, such as betweenthe axles and near the floor of the vehicle, which can distribute theweight of the batteries across the vehicle frame and establish a lowcenter of gravity for the vehicle. Similar to other vehicle components,low weight and high strength-to-weight ratio are important properties inbattery support structural components.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the disclosure provides a battery tray for a vehicle thatincludes a peripheral tubular member having an inner wall section, anouter wall section, an upper wall section, and a lower wall section thatsurround an elongated hollow interior of the peripheral tubular member.The inner wall section of the peripheral tubular member borders abattery containment area configured to contain vehicle batteries. Theouter wall section of the peripheral tubular members faces laterallyoutboard relative to the vehicle. A crush section is disposed along theouter wall section of the peripheral tubular member and includes anoutboard wall portion, an upper leg portion integrally extending inboardfrom an upper end of the outboard wall potion, and a lower leg portionintegrally extending inboard from a lower end of the outboard wallpotion. The upper and lower leg portions of the crush section eachterminate inboard at an end flange of the crush section. At least one ofthe end flanges is attached at the outer wall section of the peripheraltubular member.

Implementations of the disclosure may include one or more of thefollowing optional features. In some implementations, the crush sectioncomprises a metal sheet that is formed with edges of the sheet disposedalong the end flanges. In some examples, the crush section has atransverse cross-sectional shape continuously along a length of thecrush member. For instance, some implementations of the crush memberinclude a hat-shaped cross section that extends along a length of thecrush member.

In some examples, the end flange at the upper leg portion protrudesupward and is welded to the outer wall section. Also, in some examples,the end flange at the lower leg portion attaches to the lower wallsection of the peripheral tubular member.

In some implementations, the peripheral tubular member comprises arectangular cross-sectional shape. The peripheral tubular member may, insome examples, comprise a metal sheet formed around the elongated hollowinterior and a weld seam disposed along a length of the peripheraltubular member.

Further, in some examples, a floor plate may be disposed below thebattery containment area, such that the lower wall section of theperipheral tubular member may include a planar surface that is welded atthe upper surface of the floor plate. In some implementations, aplurality of cross members may attach at the inner wall section of theperipheral tubular member and extend across the battery containmentarea.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a battery tray for a vehiclethat includes a peripheral tubular member that borders at least alateral side of a battery containment area relative to the vehicle. Acrush section is attached along an outboard side of the peripheraltubular member. The crush section includes an outboard wall portion, anupper leg portion integrally extending inboard from an upper end of theoutboard wall potion, and a lower leg portion integrally extendinginboard from a lower end of the outboard wall potion. The upper andlower leg portions of the crush section each terminate inboard at an endflange of the crush section that is attached to the peripheral tubularmember to enclose a hollow interior there between.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a battery tray for a vehiclethat includes a peripheral tubular member having an outer wall sectionand an inner wall section. The inner wall section borders a lateral sideof a battery containment area relative to the vehicle. A crush sectionis attached along the outer wall section of the peripheral tubularmember and includes an outboard wall portion, an upper leg portionintegrally extending inboard from an upper end of the outboard wallpotion, and a lower leg portion integrally extending inboard from alower end of the outboard wall potion. The crush section includes ametal sheet that is formed to have a transverse cross-sectional shapecontinuously along a length of the crush member. The upper and lower legportions of the crush section each terminate inboard at an end flangeformed at edges of the metal sheet. The end flanges are each attached tothe peripheral tubular member to enclose a hollow interior therebetween.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a battery tray isprovided for supporting batteries at a lower portion of a vehicle frame.The battery tray includes a floor plate and a tubular member thatextends along a periphery of the floor plate to form a perimeter wallaround a containment area for storing vehicle battery cells. Theperimeter wall is attached at an upper surface of the floor plate. Thetubular member may include a single hollow beam, such as with arectangular cross-sectional shape. The outer wall section of the tubularmember may further provide a seamless surface around corner sections ofthe perimeter wall, such that the corner sections may have a welded seamalong the inner wall section of the beam.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a battery tray isprovided for supporting batteries at a lower portion of a vehicle frame.The battery tray includes a floor plate that has at least four perimeteredges. A perimeter wall is attached at an upper surface of the floorplate and includes a hollow metal beam that extends along at least threeof the perimeter edges of the floor plate. An outer wall section of thehollow metal beam includes a seamless surface that extends around acorner section of the perimeter wall. Also, an inner wall section of thehollow metal beam may have a welded seam at the corner section of theperimeter wall, such that the corner section of the perimeter wall mayhave a closed notch seam extending along an upper wall section, theinner wall section, and a lower wall section of the hollow metal beam.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method isprovided for forming a vehicle battery tray. The method includesattaching a perimeter wall around a floor plate to substantiallysurround a containment area for storing vehicle battery cells. Theperimeter wall may include a hollow metal beam that extends along atleast three sides of the perimeter wall that are substantiallyperpendicular to each other. The method may further include lasercutting a notch along an upper wall section, a lower wall section, andan inner wall section of the hollow metal beam. The hollow metal beammay be bent to close the notch to form a corner section of the perimeterwall. It is also provided in an aspect of the disclosure that opposingends of the hollow metal beam may be attached together to provide acontinuous boundary around the containment area of the battery tray.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of thepresent disclosure will become apparent upon review of the followingspecification in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a battery support structure securedat a mounting location on a vehicle;

FIG. 2 is top plan view of the battery support structure shown in FIG.1, illustrating rocker rails and other portions of the vehicle in dashedlines;

FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of the battery support structureshown in FIG. 1, showing battery modules supported therein;

FIG. 4 is an upper perspective view of the battery support structurewith the battery modules removed;

FIG. 5 is an exploded upper perspective view of the battery supportstructure;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the tubular peripheral member andthe outer rail extension shown at section VI-VI of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 7A-7E are cross-sectional views of additional examples of atubular peripheral member and an outer rail extension;

FIGS. 8A-8D are cross-sectional views of the tubular peripheral memberand the outer rail extension shown in FIG. 4 undergoing progressivelateral crush from a side impact;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a forming process for a tubular peripheralmember;

FIG. 10 is an upper perspective view of a tubular peripheral member atan initial step of the forming process shown in FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11A-11C are upper perspective views taken at a notched section ofthe tubular peripheral member, showing a corner bending process;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of an additional example of a tubularperipheral wall of a batter support structure;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of another example of a tubular peripheralwall of a batter support structure;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of yet another example of a tubularperipheral wall of a batter support structure;

FIG. 15 is an upper perspective view of another example of a batterysupport structure, showing a cover enclosing the battery containmentarea;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the battery support structure shownin FIG. 15, taken at line XIII-XIII shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the battery support structure shown inFIG. 15, having the cover removed;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the battery support structure shownin FIG. 17, taken at line XVIII-XVIII;

FIGS. 19A-19D are upper perspective views of an assembly process forforming a tray wall and a floor portion of the battery tray shown inFIG. 15;

FIG. 20 is a top plan view of a tubular peripheral member held in afixture during the assembly process;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an additional embodiment of a vehicle,showing a bumper reinforcement beam in dashed lines;

FIG. 22 is an upper perspective view of the bumper reinforcement beamshown in FIG. 21, having two tubes in a stacked arrangement;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the bumper reinforcement beam shownin FIG. 21, illustrating the two tubes attached together with anadhesive layer; and

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of an additional example of a bumperreinforcement beam, illustrating two tubes of the beam attached togetherwith weld seams.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depictedtherein, a vehicle battery tray or structure 10 is provided forsupporting and protecting batteries, such as battery packs or modules orthe like, for powering and operating electric motors and otherelectrical components of an electric or hybrid-electric vehicle 12, suchas shown in FIGS. 1-5. The battery tray 10 may be attached or mounted ator near the lower portion of the vehicle 12, such as at the lower frameor rocker rails 14, which may also locate the batteries 16 contained inthe battery tray 10 in a central location on the vehicle 12. Such a lowand centralized location may avoid damage and disruption to thebatteries 16 by being spaced away from probable impact locations on thevehicle frame, such as near the front and rear bumper areas. Also, sucha mounting location of the tray 10 suspended and spanning below aninterior cabin of the vehicle 12 may evenly distribute the weight of thebatteries 16 on the vehicle frame between the wheels and may provide thevehicle 12 with a relatively low center of gravity due to thesubstantial weight of the batteries 16 held in the battery tray 10.

The battery tray 10 is provided with a base panel or floor plate 18 thatforms the bottom containment structure of the battery tray 10. When thebattery tray 10 is engage with the lower portion of the vehicle 12, thebase panel or floor plate 18 of the battery tray 10 may be span belowthe interior cabin in generally parallel with the floor of the interiorcabin of the vehicle 10, such that the base panel or floor plate 18 ofthe battery tray 10 may form the bottom or lowermost undercarriagesurface of the vehicle body 12, as shown in FIG. 1.

The battery tray 10 may be disengaged or detached from the rocker rails14 of the vehicle 12, such as for replacing or performing maintenance onthe batteries 16 or related electrical components. To facilitate thisoptional disengagement or detachment from the vehicle 12, the batterytray 10 can be a modular design with standardized mounting locationscapable of disengagement, such as with bolts or releasable fasteners orthe like. Accordingly, the battery support tray 10 may accommodatevarious vehicle body types and designs.

As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the battery tray 10 includes a perimetercontainment wall 20 that is disposed around a peripheral edge of the ofthe floor plate 18 to substantially surround a battery containment area22 of the battery tray 10. The perimeter containment wall 20 is formedby at least one perimeter reinforcement member 24 that extends along atleast one section or side of the peripheral edge of the floor plate 18to provide a protective barrier around the battery containment area 22.Thus, the perimeter containment wall 20 may be segmented into separatemembers or beams that are attached together at the ends or may be asingle beam.

To reduce the attachment seams and connection interfaces along theperimeter containment wall 20, which can be susceptible to leaks intoand out of the battery containment area 22, the perimeter reinforcementmember 24 may be bent or formed at a corner of the battery tray 10 tohave at least a portion of the beam that continuously extends along morethan a single linear side of the perimeter wall 20. For example, asshown in FIGS. 3-5, the perimeter reinforcement member comprises asingle metal tubular beam that extends along four sides of the peripheryof the battery tray 10 and its ends attach together to enclose thecontainment area 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, the peripheral shape of the perimeter containmentwall 20, when viewed from above, may be generally rectangular or squareshaped, where the corners of the perimeter containment wall 20 areapproximately 90 degrees. The interior surface of the perimetercontainment wall 20 at such sharp angled corners can provide acorresponding square or rectangular shaped battery containment area 22.This orthogonal shape of the battery containment area 22 correspondswith a generally rectangular or orthogonal shape of the battery modules16 shown in FIG. 3, and as such the battery containment area can befilled to its volumetric capacity and thereby maximize batterycontainment capacity of the tray 10. However, it is also contemplatedthat the peripheral shape may have alternative designs, such as shown inanother example illustrated in FIG. 17 that is indented or angled at ornear the front or rear wheel wells of the vehicle, but still may havesome right-angled corners.

The illustrated perimeter containment wall 20 shown in FIGS. 1-5 has asingle reinforcement member 24 that is a roll formed tubular beam havinga closed cross-sectional shape, which may be roll formed from a metalsheet, such as a high-strength steel. The hollow or open interiorchannel 26 (FIG. 10) of the reinforcement member 24 may extend along alength of the respective beam. By having an exterior or outer wallsection of the beam spaced from an interior or inner wall section by theinterior channel 26, such a tubular construction can increase energyabsorption and reduce intrusion distances for lateral vehicle impacts.The elongated reinforcement member or members may also or alternativelyinclude a welded multi-sheet beam, a pultruded beam, an extruded beam orthe like, where the shape and material of the reinforcement member ormembers may be adapted to absorb and reduce impact forces delivered toexterior portions of the battery tray 10. It is further contemplatedthat the perimeter reinforcement member or members may be made withpolymer or related composites, aluminum, combinations of materials orlike materials. Also, the reinforcement member or members may be formedto have various shapes and combinations of open and/or closedcross-sectional shapes or profiles.

As further shown in FIGS. 3-5, the tubular member 24 has a rectangularcross-sectional shape formed by an inner wall section 28, an outer wallsection 30, an upper wall section 32, and a lower wall section 34 of thetubular beam. The inner and outer wall sections 28, 30 are generallyperpendicular relative to a planar extent of the floor plate 18 andsubstantially coplanar with each other. Similarly, the upper and lowerwall sections 32, 34 are generally parallel relative to the planarextent of the floor plate 18 and substantially coplanar with each other.The lower wall section 34 of the tubular beam 24 has a planar surfacethat is attached at the upper surface of the floor plate along therespective perimeter edge of the floor plate. The attachment of theperimeter wall 20 to the floor plate 18 may be done by welding,adhesive, or fasteners or other similar attachment interface that isgenerally adapted to form a sealed attachment seam that is impervious toliquid and gas.

Referring again to the corner sections 36 of the perimeter wall 20, suchas shown in FIGS. 3-5, the outer wall section 30 of the tubular member24 may have a seamless surface around at least one corner section 36 ofthe perimeter wall 20. This seamless surface along the outer wallsection 30 may have a small to negligible radiused curvature frombending the corner. To provide such a seamless surface at the outer wallsection 36 at the sharp angled corner, a closed notch seam 38 may beprovided at the corner sections 36 that extends along the upper, inner,and lower wall sections 32, 28, 34 of the beam 24, where such a formingprocess is shown in FIGS. 11A-11C and further described below. Theclosed notch seam 38 may be fixed when the notch seam is closed, so asto have a welded seam along at least the inner wall section 28 of thebeam 24. It is also contemplated that a weld seam may be provided alongthe entire closed notch seam 38 to provide a sealed closure to thehollow interior of the tubular beam.

The corner sections 36 of the perimeter containment wall 20 shown inFIGS. 3-5 have a closed notch seam 38 at three of the corner sections 36and a mitered end attachment 40 at the final corner to attach togetherthe opposing ends of the tubular beam 24. The mitered end attachment 40is formed by cutting each of the opposing ends of the tubular member 24at an angle that is half of desired corner angle and securing the endstogether, such as at 45 degrees for a 90 degree corner. The mitered endattachment 40 may be formed by welding, adhesive, or fasteners or othersimilar attachment interface that is generally adapted to form a sealedattachment seam that is impervious to liquid and gas. It is alsocontemplated that the ends of the tubular beam may be attached togetherat a straight-cut joint 40 a, 40 b, such as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. Asshown in FIG. 14, the end attachment joint 40 b of the tubular beam isreinforced with brackets 41 that attach the inner and outer wallsections of the beam.

The perimeter wall 20 provides a generally consistent height with evenand generally flush top and bottom surfaces for attaching a top cover orplate at the top surface and a bottom cover or floor plate 18 at thebottom surface, which together seal the upper and lower portions of thebattery containment area 22. The top cover may be attached in a mannerthat is relatively easy to remove while maintaining the sealed batterycontainment area 22, such as via bolts, screws, or other removablefasteners that may compress a gasket or other sealing member between thetop cover and the top surface of the perimeter wall 20. The removabilityof the top cover also allows access to the battery modules 16 or otherelectric components housed in the battery containment area 22 forreplacement, maintenance, or inspection or the like. As further shown inFIG. 3, the upper wall section 32 of the perimeter wall 20 has fasteneropenings 42 that are configured to receive a mechanical fastener.

The floor plate 18, such as shown in FIG. 5, is a generally planarstructure but may include formations adapted to improve structuralstiffness of the floor and to adapt the floor for the battery modules16. The floor plate 18 includes groupings of elongated depressions 44that extend laterally on the floor plate 18 below sections of thebattery containment area 22 that are each directly below a batterymodule 16. Such elongated depressions 44 increase lateral stiffness ofthe floor plate, while also providing air flow channels below thebattery modules 16. Also, depressed features 45 are provided on thefloor plate 18 that extend below the cross members 28 of the tray 10 tosimilarly provide structural strengthening and air flow improvements.The floor plate 18 may provide a sealed connection along the bottomsurface of the perimeter wall 20 via welding, adhesive, or fasteners orthe like. The seal between the floor plate 18 and the reinforcementmember 24 forming the perimeter wall 20 may be reinforced orsupplemented with a sealing agent or sealing material, such as an epoxy,silicone sealant, gasket material, or the like.

It is understood that the sealed battery containment area 22 may bevented for accommodating battery swelling or contraction, such as at avented opening that is difficult for liquid or debris to enter, such asby locating the vented opening at an upper portion or interior portionor of the battery tray 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, end openings46 in the perimeter containment wall 20 that are used for wiring mayalso be provided with an air conduit to assist with venting. Such avented opening 46 may include a filter, membrane, or fabric cover thatis air permeable and liquid impermeable to provide the desired liquidsealed environment for storing the batteries or electrical equipment orother vehicle-related item in the battery tray.

Referring again to FIGS. 3-5, the battery support structure 10 has crossmembers 48 that extend laterally to attach between the inside surfacesor inner wall sections 28 of the tubular member 24 at opposing lateralside sections of the perimeter wall 20. The cross members 48 spanbetween the lateral side sections of the reinforcement members 24 totransmit lateral loads and impact forces through generally linear loadpaths along the cross members 48 to prevent laterally inward deformationto the reinforcement member 24 and thus limit disruption to the batterycontainment area 22. The cross members 48 may be formed to have a heightthat is less than the height of the perimeter wall 20. Accordingly, thecross members 48 may, provide a direct load path transmission betweenthe lateral side sections of the perimeter wall 20.

The battery tray 10 shown in FIGS. 3-5 also includes outer railextensions 50 that are attached at opposing longitudinal sides orportions of the perimeter containment wall 20 of the battery tray 10 andprotrude laterally outboard relative to the vehicle 12 (FIG. 2). Asshown in FIGS. 4-6, the rail extensions 50 have a C-shaped or hat shapedcross sectional shape, where the end flanges 52 of the cross-sectionalshape are attached to the outer wall sections 30 of the tubular beam 24of the perimeter containment wall 20. The rail extensions 50 extendlaterally outboard from the outer wall sections 30 of the metal tubularbeam 24 and provide a mounting structure for the battery tray 10 toattach to the frame of the vehicle 12. Specifically, as shown in FIGS.3-5, the upper section of the rail extensions or crush sections 50 havefastener holes 54 that may be used to attach the rail extensions 50 tothe rocker rails 14 (FIG. 2), such that the rail extensions 50 alsoallow the batteries 16 contained in the battery tray 10 to be securedfurther inboard from the outer perimeter of the overall vehicle framestructure.

As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the rail extensions 50 attach to the outer wallsection 30 of the tubular peripheral member 24 and extend laterallyoutboard to also function to absorb side impact forces by crushinglaterally inboard against and into the tubular peripheral member 24,such as shown in FIGS. 8A-8D. The rail extensions 50 may also bereferred to as crush sections due to their impact energy absorbingproperties and related crush characteristics. The rail extensions 50include at least one end flange 52 that is attached to the central areaof the outer wall section 30, where the rail extension 50 includes a legportion 53 that integrally extends outboard from the end flange 52 to anoutboard wall portion 55 of the rail extension 50.

As also shown in FIGS. 4-6, each of the opposing end flanges 52 attachto the outer wall section 30, with the upper end flange 52 attachedcloser to the vertical center of the outer wall section 30 than thelower end flange 52. The end flanges 52 may be attached via welding tothe outer wall section 30 to enclose a hollow interior 57 formed betweenthe rail extension 50 and the outer wall section 30. As shown forexample in FIG. 6, the end flanges 52 extend along the outer wallsection 30 away from the hollow interior 57, such that the upper endflange 52 extends upward from the respective upper leg portion 53 andthe lower end flange 52 extends downward from the respective lower legportion 53, forming the hat-shaped cross section. In other examples oneor both of the end flanges may extend toward or into the hollow interiordefined by the crush section.

As shown in FIG. 6, the crush section 50 is formed from a metal sheet,such as via stamping or roll forming. The metal sheet is formed with theedges of the sheet disposed along the end flanges 52 and having atransverse cross-sectional shape continuously along a length of thecrush member 50. Thus, the hat-shaped cross section shown in FIG. 6extends along a length of the crush member 50. The crush member 50 isthen attached along the lateral outboard side of the peripheral tubularmember 24, such as to span the entire length or nearly the entire lengthof the lateral outboard side as shown in FIG. 4.

The upper and lower leg portions 53 shown in FIGS. 4-6 integrally extendoutboard from the end flanges in a horizontal orientation and eachintegrally connect with respective upper and lower ends of the outerwall portion 55. The outboard wall portion 55, such as shown in FIG. 6,is substantially planar and vertically oriented so as to be in planarparallel alignment with the inner and outer wall sections 28, 30 of thetubular peripheral member 24. The outboard positioning of the outboardwall portion 55 allows the rail extension 50 to receive lateral impactforces and direct load paths emanating from the impact force along theleg portions 53 to attachment points of the end flanges 52 on thetubular peripheral member 24.

In lateral impact scenarios, such as side pole impacts, an impact forceF may be applied at the outboard wall portion 55 of the rail extension50, such as shown in FIGS. 8A-8D, where the rail extension or crushsection 50 crushes against and into the tubular peripheral member 24 toincrease impact energy absorption and prevent inboard deformation intothe associated battery containment area. As shown in FIG. 8A, the impactforce F at the outboard wall portion 55 is transmitted along load pathsin the leg portions 53 toward and into the outer wall section 30 at theconnection points of the end flanges 52. The rail extension 50 isconfigured to begin to deform and crush before substantial deformationto the tubular peripheral member 24. As the leg portions 53 are axialloaded and begin to crush laterally inboard, such as shown in FIG. 8B,the impact force transmitted to the central area of the outer wallsection 30 by of the upper leg portion 53 causes the outer wall section30 to begin to deform inboard. With continued lateral impact force F,such as shown in FIG. 8C, the leg portions 53 are caused to crush anddeform inboard along with the upper and lower wall sections 32, 34. Asshown in FIG. 8D, the lateral inboard crush of the crush section 50 andthe tubular peripheral member 24 are configured to deform together priorto substantial inboard deformation of the inner wall section 28. Assuch, the battery containment area inboard the tubular peripheral member24 is protected from intrusion that results from impact forces less thanor equal to those absorbed by the crush section 50 and the tubularperipheral member 24.

Additional examples of the rail extension or crush section 50 a-50 e areshown in FIGS. 7A-7E attached to the tubular peripheral member 24. Forexample, FIGS. 7B and 7D show rail extensions 50 b, 50 d with hat-shapedcross sections similar to that shown in FIG. 6. In the example shown inFIG. 7B, each of the opposing end flanges 52 b attach to the outer wallsection 30, with the upper and lower end flanges 52 b attached atgenerally equal distances from the vertical center of the outer wallsection 30 so as to vertically center the rail extension 50 b relativeto the tubular peripheral member 24. In the example shown in FIG. 7D,the lower end flange 52 d is attached closer to the vertical center ofthe outer wall section 30 than the upper end flange 52 d. As also shownin FIGS. 7B and 7D, the upper end flange 52 b, 52 d extends upward fromthe respective upper leg portion 53 b, 53d and the lower end flange 52b, 52 d extends downward from the respective lower leg portion 53 b, 53d. In these additional examples in FIGS. 7B and 7D, the end flanges 52b, 52 d direct impact loads to the outboard wall section 30 of thetubular member 24.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 7A, 7C, and 7E, one of the end flanges 52a, 52 c, 52 e that is attached to the central area of the outer wallsection 30 and the other end flange is attached to either the lower wallsection 34 (FIGS. 7A and 7C) or to the upper wall section 32 (FIG. 7E).In the example shown in FIG. 7A, the upper leg portion 53 a isvertically centered relative on the outer wall section 30 and isdisposed generally horizontal and perpendicular relative to the outerwall section 30. The examples shown in FIGS. 7C and 7E each have the legportion 53 c, 53 e that is vertically centered relative on the outerwall section 30 angled toward the outboard wall portion 55 c, 55 e ofthe crush section 50 c, 50 e. The opposing leg portion 53 c, 53 e shownin FIGS. 7C and 7E is horizontally oriented and coplanar with thecorresponding end flange 52 c, 52 e that attaches to the upper or lowerwall section 32, 34.

The shape and attachment location of the rail extension may varydepending on the probably impact height and attachment location to thevehicle, such that additional examples are also contemplated. Severaldifferent attachment techniques and configurations may also be used topermanently or releasable secure the battery support structure to avehicle frame, such as below a floor of the vehicle and generallybetween the axles. Further, with respect to the general installation orattachment or formation, the steps discussed herein may be performed invarious different sequences from those discussed to result in engaging,disengaging, or forming the battery support structure or componentsthereof.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, an exemplary flow chart is provided thatshows the process of forming the perimeter wall 20. At step 56, astraight roll formed beam 58 may be provided having a generallyrectangular cross sectional shape, such as shown in FIG. 10. The rollformed beam 58 may then be trimmed with a laser or other cutting device,at step 60, to provide notches 62 along the beam 58 at the desiredbending points that correspond to the shape and desired angular cornerbends of the perimeter wall 20, such as shown in FIG. 11A. For example,the beam may be provided in approximately less than 28 foot length toaccommodate a laser cutting machine. Specifically, the notches mayremove material along three of the four wall section of the beam 58,where the remaining exterior or outer wall section may be the bendingpoint and the top and bottom walls have angular cutouts that correspondto the desired angle of the corner transition in the perimeter wall 20of the battery tray 10. The notches 62 at the top and bottom walls mayalso include interlocking features 64 to provide a more surface areaalong the weld seam and increased stability of the seam. After thenotches are formed, the beam is bent to close the notches 62 along thebeam 58, such as shown in FIG. 11B. This bending may be done at abending station. Once the beam 58 is bent as shown in FIG. 11C, theclosed notches 62 are fixed in the closed position, such as by using alaser welding process with or without filler wire or powered metaldeposition at step 66 in FIG. 9. Further, at step 67, the ends may betrimmed and holes may be formed, such as the fastener openings 42 in theupper wall section 32 of the perimeter wall 20 and the end openings 46in the perimeter containment wall 20 that are used for wiring. It isalso contemplated that riv nuts or other fastener receivers orfinishings may be inserted in the formed holes or openings.

As shown in an additional example of a perimeter wall in FIG. 12, theperimeter wall includes an additional wall member 68 that connectsbetween end portions of the reinforcement member to provide a continuousperimeter wall around the containment area of the battery tray. This isprovided in the illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 12 at the rear ofthe battery tray. In areas where collision impact may not have a highrisk or likelihood of interacting with the containment wall, such as atthe front or rear, the additional wall member may be provided with analternative cross-sectional shape and with less or lighter material, asit may not need to be designed to withstand or manage the same impactenergy as the wall member at other areas of the perimeter wall.

Referring now to FIGS. 15-20, an additional example of a battery tray110 includes a perimeter wall 120 that is disposed around the of thefloor plate 118 to substantially surround the containment area 122. Theperimeter wall 120 includes at least two reinforcement members 124 thatare disposed in a stacked multi-tubular structure that extends alongmore than a single linear extent of the perimeter wall 120, such asshown in FIG. 17 extending along three sides of the periphery of thebattery tray 110. The illustrated stacked multi-tubular structure of theperimeter wall 120 includes two reinforcement members 124, such as shownin FIG. 18, that are attached together with a lower wall section of anupper reinforcement member 124 a disposed at or against an upper wallsection of a lower reinforcement member 124 b, such that the inner andouter wall sections of the upper and lower reinforcement members 124 a,124 b are aligned to be substantially coplanar with each other.

The perimeter reinforcement members 124 may be bent or formed at acorner section 136 of the battery tray 110 to have at least a portion ofthe beam that continuously extends along more than a single linear sideof the perimeter wall 120, such as provided by a closed notch seam 138.As shown in FIG. 17, the stacked multi-tubular structure of perimeterreinforcement members 124 extends along three sides of the perimeterwall 120 so as to form a horseshoe shape along the front and opposinglateral sides of the battery tray 110. The perimeter wall 120 alsoincludes an additional wall member 168 that connects between endportions of the two reinforcement members 124 to provide a continuousboundary around the containment area 122 of the battery tray 110. Theadditional wall member 168 has a smaller thickness to reduce weight, asadditional material is not necessary to withstand or manage probableimpact energy.

This seamless surface along the outer wall sections of the closed notchseams 138 may have a small to negligible radiused curvature from bendingthe corner. The closed notch seam 138 may be provided at the cornersections 136 that extends along the upper, inner, and lower wallsections of the stacked beam 124, where such a forming process is shownin FIGS. 11A-11C. The closed notch seam 138 may be fixed when the notchseam is closed, so as to have a welded seam along at least the innerwall section of the stacked beams 124. It is also contemplated that aweld seam may be provided along the entire closed notch seam 138 toprovide a sealed closure to the hollow interiors 126 of the tubularbeams 124 a, 124 b.

The multi-tubular structure of perimeter reinforcement members 124 maybe formed at a fixture, such as shown in FIG. 20 with pegs 174 that aredisposed at the corner sections 136 of the perimeter wall 120. The pegs174 may be used to hold the shape of the reinforcement members 124 asthey are secured together in the stacked arrangement. Also oralternatively, the pegs 174 may be used to bend the reinforcementmembers at the corner sections 136 and close the notches when formingthe closed notch seams 138. The reinforcement members 124 may beattached together, such as with applying adhesive or welding, so as toform the stacked arrangement extending upward from the floor plate 118.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the perimeter wall 120 provides a generallyconsistent height with even and generally flush top surfaces forattaching a top cover 170. The cover 170 is attached at the top surfaceof the upper tubular beam 124 a, such that the floor plate 118 and thecover 170 together seal the upper and lower portions of the batterycontainment area 122. The top cover 170 may be attached in a manner thatis relatively easy to remove while maintaining the sealed batterycontainment area 122, such as via bolts, screws, or other removablefasteners that may compress a gasket or other sealing member between thetop cover 170 and the top surface of the perimeter wall 120. Theremovability of the top cover 170 also allows access to the batterymodules or other electric components housed in the battery containmentarea 122 for replacement, maintenance, or inspection or the like.

As further shown in FIGS. 16-18, the battery support structure 110 hascross members 148 that extend laterally to attach between the insidesurfaces or inner wall sections of the tubular members 124 at opposinglateral side sections of the perimeter wall 120. As shown in FIG. 18,the cross members 148 may include end brackets 172 that span verticallyalong the interior surfaces of the tubular members 124 a, 124 b, suchthat loads transmitted by the cross members are distributed to bothtubular members. The cross members 148 may be formed to have a heightalong sections of the cross members that is less than the height of theperipheral wall 120, such as from section of the cross members 148 havea stacked tube structure and other sections having a single tube height.The cross members 148 may also attach at a central longitudinal beam149. The cross members 148 may be formed to have a height in sectionsthat is less than the height of the peripheral wall 120. Accordingly,the cross members 148 may, together with the central longitudinal beam149, provide a direct load path transmission between the lateral sidesections of the perimeter wall 120.

Features of the battery tray 110 that are similar to the battery tray 10may not be described in detail again, and similar reference numbers areused, incremented by 100.

Referring now to FIGS. 21-24, a vehicle 212 may be equipped with abumper reinforcement beam 280 that has a stacked tubular arrangementsimilar to the reinforcement beams 124 used in the perimeter wall 120 ofthe battery tray 110 shown in FIGS. 15-20. The vehicle reinforcementbeam 280 is configured to span laterally across a vehicle frame, whereopposing end portions of the reinforcement beam are configured to attachat the vehicle frame. As shown in FIGS. 22-24, the reinforcement beam280 has two members or beams 224 a, 224 b that are separately rollformed from a metal sheet, such as sheet steel material having athickness of 0.8 mm to 1.4 mm and a tensile strength of about 800 to2000 MPa. The separate beams 224 a, 224 b are then attached together inthe stacked tubular arrangement to provide a multi-tubular reinforcementbeam. As shown in FIG. 23, the beams 224 a, 224 b are attached togetherwith an adhesive layer 282 that securely bonds the beams together. Thelower wall section of the upper reinforcement member 224 a is adheredalong and against the upper wall section of the lower reinforcementmember 224 b, such that the adhered wall sections provide a center wallof the bumper reinforcement beam 280 with a doubled wall thickness.

As shown in FIG. 23, the overall bumper reinforcement beam 280 is about80 mm high and 40 mm deep, where each of the individual beams 224 a, 224b have a channel rib 284 a, 284 b formed in a front face of therespective beam. Each illustrated channel rib is about 8-10 mm deep and8-10 mm wide, and includes a rounded bottom having a semicircular shape.Nonetheless, it is contemplated that a depth and size of the channelribs can be made shallow, deeper, wider, narrower, flat-bottomed, orotherwise modified to satisfy specific functional requirements of abeam.

As further shown in FIG. 24, an additional embodiment of the bumperreinforcement beam 380 has a stacked tubular arrangement with the twomembers or beams 324 a, 324 b welded together. Similar to the vehiclereinforcement beam 280 shown in FIG. 23, the vehicle reinforcement beam380 is configured to span laterally across a vehicle frame, whereopposing end portions of the reinforcement beam are configured to attachat the vehicle frame. The two members or beams 324 a, 324 b that areseparately roll formed from a metal sheet, such as sheet steel materialhaving a thickness of 0.8mm to 1.4mm and a tensile strength of about 800to 2000 MPa. The beams 324 a, 324 b are attached together with weldseams 384 that securely attaches the beams together. The lower wallsection of the upper reinforcement member 324 a is welded against theupper wall section of the lower reinforcement member 324 b, such thatthe fixed wall sections provide a center wall of the bumperreinforcement beam 380 with a doubled wall thickness. The welding of theweld seams 384 may be done simultaneously via laser welding.Alternatively, the welding can occur in two separate steps and byalternative welding methods.

As similarly shown in FIG. 24, the overall bumper reinforcement beam 380is about 80mm high and 40mm deep, where each of the individual beams 324a, 324 b have a channel rib 384 a, 384 b formed in a front face of therespective beam. Each illustrated channel rib is about 8-10 mm deep and8-10 mm wide, and includes a rounded bottom having a semicircular shape.Nonetheless, it is contemplated that a depth and size of the channelribs can be made shallow, deeper, wider, narrower, flat-bottomed, orotherwise modified to satisfy specific functional requirements of abeam.

It is to be understood that the specific devices and processesillustrated in the attached drawings, and described in thisspecification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive conceptsdefined in the appended claims. Hence, specific values and other precisephysical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed hereinare not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly stateotherwise.

Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments maybe carried out without departing from the principles of the presentdisclosure, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of theappended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patentlaw. The disclosure has been described in an illustrative manner, and itis to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intendedto be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.Many modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possiblein light of the above teachings, and the disclosure may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed:
 1. A battery tray for a vehicle, the battery traycomprising: a peripheral tubular member having an inner wall section, anouter wall section, an upper wall section, and a lower wall section thatsurround an elongated hollow interior of the peripheral tubular member;wherein the inner wall section of the peripheral tubular member bordersa battery containment area configured to contain vehicle batteries;wherein the outer wall section of the peripheral tubular members faceslaterally outboard relative to the vehicle; a crush section disposedalong the outer wall section of the peripheral tubular member and havingan outboard wall portion, an upper leg portion integrally extendinginboard from an upper end of the outboard wall potion, and a lower legportion integrally extending inboard from a lower end of the outboardwall potion; wherein the upper and lower leg portions of the crushsection each terminate inboard at an end flange of the crush section;and wherein at least one of the end flanges is attached at the outerwall section of the peripheral tubular member.
 2. The battery tray ofclaim 1, wherein the crush section comprises a metal sheet formed withedges of the sheet disposed along the end flanges.
 3. The battery trayof claim 1, wherein the crush section comprises a transversecross-sectional shape continuously along a length of the crush member.4. The battery tray of claim 1, w herein the crush member includes ahat-shaped cross section that extends along a length of the crushmember.
 5. The battery tray of claim 1, w herein the end flange at theupper leg portion protrudes upward and is welded to the outer wallsection.
 6. The battery tray of claim 5, wherein the end flange at thelower leg portion attaches to the lower wall section of the peripheraltubular member.
 7. The battery tray of claim 1, wherein the peripheraltubular member comprises a rectangular cross-sectional shape.
 8. Thebattery tray of claim 1, wherein the peripheral tubular member comprisesa metal sheet formed around the elongated hollow interior and a weldseam disposed along a length of the peripheral tubular member.
 9. Thebattery tray of claim 1, further comprising a floor plate disposed belowthe battery containment area, wherein the lower wall section of theperipheral tubular member comprises a planar surface that is welded atthe upper surface of the floor plate.
 10. The battery tray of claim 1,wherein a plurality of cross members attach at the inner wall section ofthe peripheral tubular member and extend across the battery containmentarea.
 11. A battery tray for a vehicle, the battery tray comprising: aperipheral tubular member that borders at least a lateral side of abattery containment area relative to the vehicle; and a crush sectionattached along an outboard side of the peripheral tubular member andcomprising: an outboard wall portion, an upper leg portion integrallyextending inboard from an upper end of the outboard wall potion, and alower leg portion integrally extending inboard from a lower end of theoutboard wall potion; and wherein the upper and lower leg portions ofthe crush section each terminate inboard at an end flange of the crushsection that is attached to the peripheral tubular member to enclose ahollow interior there between.
 12. The battery tray of claim 11, whereinat least one of the end flanges is welded at an outer wall section ofthe peripheral tubular member.
 13. The battery tray of claim 11, whereinat least one of the end flange is welded at a lower wall section of theperipheral tubular member.
 14. The battery tray of claim 11, wherein theperipheral tubular member includes an inner wall section, an outer wallsection, an upper wall section, and a lower wall section that surroundan elongated hollow interior of the peripheral tubular member.
 15. Thebattery tray of claim 14, w herein at least one of the end flanges iswelded at a vertical center of the outer wall section.
 16. The batterytray of claim 11, wherein the crush section comprises a metal sheetformed with edges of the sheet disposed along the end flanges and havinga transverse cross-sectional shape continuously along a length of thecrush member.
 17. The battery tray of claim 11, wherein the crush memberincludes a hat-shaped cross section that extends along a length of thecrush member.
 18. A battery tray for a vehicle, the battery traycomprising: a peripheral tubular member having an outer wall section andan inner wall section that borders a lateral side of a batterycontainment area relative to the vehicle; and a crush section attachedalong the outer wall section of the peripheral tubular member andcomprising: an outboard wall portion, an upper leg portion integrallyextending inboard from an upper end of the outboard wall potion, and alower leg portion integrally extending inboard from a lower end of theoutboard wall potion; wherein the crush section comprises a metal sheetformed to have a transverse cross-sectional shape continuously along alength of the crush member; wherein the upper and lower leg portions ofthe crush section each terminate inboard at an end flange formed atedges of the metal sheet; and wherein the end flanges are each attachedto the peripheral tubular member to enclose a hollow interior therebetween.
 19. The battery tray of claim 18, wherein one of the endflanges is welded at the outer wall section and the other end flange iswelded at the lower wall section or the upper wall section.
 20. Thebattery tray of claim 18, wherein the crush member includes a hat-shapedcross section that extends along a length of the crush member.